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. J- B. UHETWYND.

I BALCONY HOIST. v No. 501,455. v Patented July 11, 1893. 5 [7 M 9% T 5v o" 7 ED 5 x 92 (No Model.)

' I 2 Sheets-$110M 2.

J B. OHETWYND.

BALCONY HOIST.

Nd 501,455. Patented July 11, 1893.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIA BOS'VILLE CHETWYND, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

BALCONY-HOIST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,455, dated July 11,1893. Application filed February 1. 1893- $erial No. 466,570. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JULIA BOSVILLE CHET- WYND, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain and Ireland, residing at Chelsea, London, England, haveinvented an apparatus for facilitating the ascent of persons to andtheir descent from the upper parts of structures such as buildings orships, specially applicable for use as a balcony fire-escape, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention has reference to improvements in apparatus for facilitatingascent of persons to and their descent from the upper parts ofstructures, such as buildings or ships.

The apparatus is especially applicable for use as a fire escape, but mayalso be used for other purposes as will be readily understood.

I will proceed to describe my apparatus adapted for use as a balconyfire escape in connection with buildings. The balcony is adapted to restnormally like an ordinary balcony on brackets or supports projectingfrom the building to which my invention is applied but is connected byropes to raising and lowering gear operated after the manner of thelowering arrangement of a French window blind in such wise that a persondesiring to use the appliance as a means of escape in case of fire can,while standing on the balcony, raise the same by pulling a rope, andthen can gradually lower the balcony by keeping the rope taut withoutpulling it to such an extent as to prevent descent of the balcony. Asthe balcony is in this manner allowed to gradually descend it will beguided outward by the ropes by which it is suspended working in guidesin the brackets or supports so as to clear them and the wall of thebuilding as hereinafter more fully explained.

In order that my invention may be fully understood reference is bad tothe accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 shows in elevation part ofa house provided with such a balcony fire escape; and Fig.2 illustratesmyinvention at right angles to Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively afront elevation and a section of a modified form of gear for raising andlowering the movable balcony.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is a balcony of which one end portion 2(hereinafter called the movable balcony) is shown movable and providedwith means for raising and lowering it; but it will be understood thatboth ends might be made movable. The movable balcony 2 which is providedwith a railing extending entirely around it rests upon brackets 3 whoseupper surfaces are downwardly inclined, the under side of the movablebalcony being so formed that the said balcony is supported in ahorizontal position. The movable balcony2 is kept in place by means of acatch 4 or a hook or link which is pivoted to the fixed balcony and isso balanced that, upon the movable balcony being slightly raised, thecatch is caused to assume such a position that the said balcony is freeto slide off the inclined brackets 3.

The raising and lowering gear comprises ropes 5 of non-inflammablematerial such as steel or asbestus to which the movable balcony 2 isattached; these ropes are wound upon wheels or drums 6 fixed to a shaft7 journaled in brackets 8 secured to the wall of the house as shown. Theshaft7 has also keyed upon it a wheel or drum 9, around which anactuating rope 10 is wound in the opposite di- 1 rection to that inwhich the ropes 5 are wound upon the wheels or drums 6; the shaft 7 hasalso fixed upon it a ratchet .wheel 11 with the teeth of which a detentl2 normally engages, the arrangement being such as to prevent the shaft7 rotating in a direction which will allow the movable balcony 2 todescend. This detent is formed with a curved extension 12 in which isformed an eye; through this eye the rope 10 passes.

Fixed to the walla short distance below the wheel or drum 9 is an arm 13provided at its outer end with a sheave 13* against which the rope l0bears. The weighted detent is so arranged that, when the rope 10 hangsslack and the detent 12 is in engagement with the teeth of the ratchetwheel, the curved extension 12 bends that portion of the rope betweenthe wheel or drum 9 and the sheave 13*. The detent and extension areprovided with a weight 12". This weight must be sufficient to counteractthe tendency of the rope,

- due to its weight alone to disengage the detentfrom the ratchet wheel.

The action is as follows :-Upon the rope 10 being pulled, whether by aperson standing upon the movable balcony 2 or by some person on theground, that portion of the said rope that is between the wheel or drum9 and the sheave 13* will be straightened, the detent 12 being therebydisengaged from the teeth of the ratchet wheel. Upon a further pullbeing exerted on the rope 10, the movable bacony 2 will be raised andthe catch 4 or balanced hook or link turned over as hereinbeforementioned, the movable balcony 2 being then free to descend. If the rope10 be now slightly slackened the movable balcony 2 will descend slowlythe ropes 5 being gradually unwound from the wheels or drums 6 which arethereby rotated together with the shaft 7 and the wheel or drum 9mounted thereon; the rope 10 is consequently gradually wound upon thewheel or drum 9. Upon the rope 10 being released the detent 12 willre-engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel and the further descent of thebalcony 2 Will be stopped. In the example illustrated 'the wheels ordrums 6 are directly above the brackets 3; grooves are formed in theends of the said brackets in which the ropes 5 run when the movablebalcony 2 has descended below the same. When the actuating rope 10 isnot in use it will usually be coiled up and hung upon the movablebalcony.

In the modified form of apparatus shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the shaft 7 hasfixed to it two wheels or drums 6 around which the ropes 5 are wound,and a worm wheel 14 arranged between the said wheels or drums 6; withthe worm wheel 14 there gears a worm 15 fixed upon a spindle 15*mountedin bearings in a cross bar 8* attached to or forming part of thebrackets 8. Upon the spindle of the worm 15 is keyed a chain wheel 16over which hangs an endless chain 17 of sufficient length to almostreach the ground. In this modification, the movable balcony can beslowly raised or lowered by pulling down one side portion of the chain17; upon the cessation of the pull on the chain the movable balcony willthen remain stationary. In cases where there are structural projectionsbelow the normal position of the movable balcony 2 a guy rope 18 (Figs.1 and 2) is provided by means of which the movable bacony 2 can beguided safely over the said projections. The actuating rope 10 or thechain 17, as the case may be, may, if desired, be inclosed in a casingfixed to the wall of the building and suitable guide pulleys providedwhere necessary, the lower portion of said casing being so constructedasto permit of the rope or chain being manipulated by a person standingon the ground.

What I claim is- 1. Apparatus for facilitating ascent of persons andtheir descent from the upper parts of structures comprising a movableplatform, mechanism for raising and lowering the same, and fixedbrackets or supports, the platform being adapted to rest normally on thebrackets or supports(which project from the structure to which theapparatus is applied) but capable of being raised and lowered by aperson standing on such platform as set forth.

2. A balcony fire escape comprising a movable balcony, brackets orsupports fixed to the building to which the fire escape is applied andwhereon said movable balcony normally rests, a rotary shaft providedwith pulleys and mounted in brackets fixed to said building, flexibleconnectors Wound on said pulleys and connected to said movable balcony,and means for rotating and controlling the motion of said shaft to raiseand lower said movable balcony substantially as herein described for thepurpose specified.

3. A balcony fire escape, comprising a movable balcony 2, brackets orsupports 3 fixed to the building to which the said fire escape isapplied and whereon said movable balcony normally rests, a shaft?mounted in brackets fixed to said building, pulleys 6 and 9 and ratchetwheel 11 fixed to said shaft, flexible connectors 5 connected to saidmovable balcony and wound upon said pulleys 6 a rope 1O Wound upon saiddrum 9 in an opposite direction to ICC

